Pletcher seeks to fill lone void

Credit: AP

LOOKING TO FINISH FIRST: Trainer Todd Pletcher will lean on Palace Malice to try to earn an elusive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic this weekend.

ARCADIA, Calif. — His numbers are staggering.

Since taking out his trainer’s license in 1996, Todd Pletcher has saddled the winners of more than $250 million in purses while visiting the winner’s circle nearly 3,400 times.

This year, the 46-year-old Texan’s stable has already amassed more than $21 million in purse winnings heading into this weekend’s $25 million, 14-race Breeders’ Cup World Championships, in which he has eight horses primed for action at Santa Anita Park.

No, Pletcher doesn’t want for much . . . with the notable exception of an elusive victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Pletcher has trained seven winners of Breeders’ Cup races, but the marquee event of the season-ending championships remains one of the few holes in his otherwise sterling resume.

Whereas Pletcher has attempted in the past to win the Classic with horses of suspect pedigree for the 11⁄4-mile distance, he seems to have brought the right kind of horse with him this year. Palace Malice has proven himself to be resilient, durable and talented enough to make a strong showing in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup finale.

Palace Malice, who captured the 11⁄2-mile Belmont Stakes in June, has been campaigning without a break since January and has showed no signs of wear-and-tear or declining form.

“It says a lot about him, physically and mentally, that he’s been able to do that,” said Pletcher, whose trainees have earned $13.2 million in Breeders’ Cup purses. “He seems to thrive on it, actually. He’s gained weight through the process and has gotten bigger and stronger as he’s gone along.”

The 3-year-old son of 2007 Classic winner Curlin will need to be bigger, stronger and at his absolute best to give his trainer his first Classic win. The 12-horse field is loaded with talented horses, including the 1-2 finishers of last year’s Classic, Fort Larned and Mucho Macho Man, as well as Southern California monster Game On Dude.

Said Pletcher: “It’s a really deep field. It’s one of those things where you wouldn’t be surprised if a number of different horses win it. Fort Larned to win it again it wouldn’t surprise you. If Mucho Macho Man, judging by the way he ran in the Awesome Again, won it, it wouldn’t surprise you. Game on Dude certainly wouldn’t surprise you. And you’re not even talking about Ron the Greek, Flat Out, Palace Malice or Will Take Charge. It’s a nasty race.”

Yet, Pletcher thinks that Palace Malice will have a lot going for him.

“From a tactical standpoint, he has the ability to stalk a fast pace and still deliver a strong finish,” he said. “You know the mile-and-a-quarter isn’t going to be a problem. You just hope for the right set-up and he likes the track and runs a big race on Saturday.”

Pletcher won’t be looking to fill a void in the big race on tomorrow’s card. He has already saddled a winner of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, winning the top race for fillies and mares with Ashado in 2004. Tomorrow, he will saddle Princess of Sylmar for a clash with two-time defending Distaff champion Royal Delta, whom she defeated by two lengths in the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 28.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Royal Delta and how good she is,” said Pletcher, who will also be represented by Authenticity, a veteran mare with an upset chance in the Distaff. “I wasn’t shocked, but it was impressive to watch.”

Princess of Sylmar has captured four consecutive Grade 1 races going into the $2 million Distaff, virtually clinching the Eclipse Award for 3-year-old fillies and putting her on the short list of Horse of the Year candidates.

“She’s had an unbelievable campaign,” Pletcher said. “She’s run all year. She won the Oaks against some of the fillies in this race. Then, to cap it off with the wins in the Coaching Club, the Alabama and the Beldame, to me, regardless of what happens, I think the voters will reward her for the consistency of her campaign and the fact that she did it all year. She didn’t take any breaks. She ran in all the big dances.”

Pletcher has experienced the most success in the Juvenile and will seek his third victory in Saturday’s 11⁄16-mile event for 2 year olds with Havana, an undefeated colt who was rated as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, and We Miss Artie, a longshot making his first start on dirt.

Pletcher also will saddle the morning-line favorite for tomorrow’s Dirt Mile, in which Verrazano will attempt to win his seventh race in nine starts. The future Hall of Fame trainer will also be represented by Capo Bastone, a Grade 1 winner on dirt who’ll make his grass debut in Saturday’s Turf Sprint, and Bashart, who is among the top contenders in Saturday’s Juvenile Turf.